How life has changed in Hammersmith and Fulham

Hammersmith and Fulham's population increased by about 17,300 between the last two censuses. This semi-automated article highlights some of the key changes among the local population.

The population passed 180,000

In the decade to 2011, the population of Hammersmith and Fulham increased by 10.4%, from about 165,000 to 182,000.

The addition of just over 17,000 people means this area's population increased faster than the rate of growth across England (up 7.9% since the 2001 census).

In 2011, Hammersmith and Fulham was home to, on average, 79 people per football pitch-sized piece of land.

Population density was higher than the average across London

Population density (usual residents per football pitch-sized piece of land) across London, March 2011 (larger dots represent greater increase since 2001)

Average age stable in Hammersmith and Fulham

Latest census data also show that the median age of Hammersmith and Fulham remained 32 years in the decade to 2011.

This area had a lower average age than London and remained younger than the average local authority area across England (39 years of age).

The fall in age was because of an increase of just over 5,400 people between the ages of 40 and 49 years, while the population over the age of 80 years decreased by about 900.

About 14.0% of people in Hammersmith and Fulham are aged between 40 and 49 years

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Hammersmith and Fulham by 10 year age band, March 2001 and March 2011

More people worked short hours

The percentage of employees working less than 16 weekly hours increased from 3.2% to 4.3% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

The percentage who said they had worked over 49 hours the week before completing the census remained close to 8.4%.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 4.8% in 2001 to 5.4% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 6.4% to 6.5%.

The proportion of people working less than 16 hours in a week in Hammersmith and Fulham increased by 1.1 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 (in employment the week before the Census 2011) in Hammersmith and Fulham, London and England that said they had worked less than 16 hours the week before completing the census, March 2001 and March 2011

Disability in Hammersmith and Fulham

The percentage of Hammersmith and Fulham residents whose day-to-day activities are limited a little by a long-term health problem or disability decreased from 5.0% to 4.4% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

The percentage who reported being limited a lot in their day-to-day activities remained close to 2.0%, while the percentage of Hammersmith and Fulham residents whose day-to-day activities are not limited by a long-term health problem or disability remained close to 93.2%.

The proportion of people who are slightly limited by a long-term health problem or disability fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 5.8% in 2001 to 5.3% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 6.8% to 6.5%.

The proportion of people who are limited a little by a long-term health problem or disability was lower than across London

Percentage of usual residents that reported being slightly limited in their day-to-day activities across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

Fall in home ownership

The percentage of households that owned their home fell in Hammersmith and Fulham at a faster rate than in Wandsworth (one of the most statistically similar areas to Hammersmith and Fulham based on ONS area classifications).

In Hammersmith and Fulham, the proportion of home ownership decreased from 43.6% in 2001 to 34.0% in 2011. During the same period, the proportion in statistically similar Wandsworth decreased from 51.6% to 45.5%.

Across London, the share of households that owned their home decreased from 56.0% to 48.3%.

Private renting in Hammersmith and Fulham increased from 20.9% to 31.7%, while the rate of social housing decreased from 32.4% to 31.2%.

The rate of home ownership in Hammersmith and Fulham decreased by 9.5 percentage points

Percentage of households in Hammersmith and Fulham, London and England that owned their home, March 2001 and March 2011

Religion in Hammersmith and Fulham

The 2011 Census asked a voluntary question about religion. Of those who chose to disclose their religious affiliation, the largest percentage point increase in Hammersmith and Fulham was among those who said they had no religion, rising 6.7 points.

In 2011, 26.0% of respondents in Hammersmith and Fulham gave this answer to the question on religion, compared with 19.3% of those who answered in 2001.

Across London, the percentage of people who answered the question on religion and described themselves as having no religion increased from 17.3% to 22.7%, while across England the percentage went from 15.7% to 26.5%.

Of those who disclosed their religion in Hammersmith and Fulham, 59.1% said they were Christian, compared with 69.6% in 2001. About 10.9% said they were Muslim, compared with 7.5% a decade prior.

In Hammersmith and Fulham, 8.4% chose not to answer the question on religious affiliation, compared with 8.6% in 2001. Across London, 8.5% did not answer the voluntary question, compared with 7.7% in 2001.

There are many factors that can cause changes to the religious profile of an area, such as differing patterns of ageing or of moving to or from an area for work or education. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population that said they had no religion in Hammersmith and Fulham increased by 6.7 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents who answered the voluntary question on religion in England, London and Hammersmith and Fulham by religion, March 2001 and March 2011

Ethnicity in Hammersmith and Fulham

In 2011, 9.1% of Hammersmith and Fulham residents said they were from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups, up from 5.2% in 2001. The 3.9 percentage point change was the largest increase among ethnic groups in this area.

Across London, the percentage of people from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups increased from 13.2% to 18.5%, while across England the percentage went from 5.2% to 8.0%.

Around 68.1% of people in Hammersmith and Fulham said they were from one of the White ethnic groups, compared with 77.8% in 2001. About 11.8% said they were from the Black, Black British, Caribbean or African ethnic groups, compared with 11.1% a decade prior.

The percentage of people who said they were from the Other ethnic groups (Arab or any other ethnic group) increased from 2.0% to 5.5%.

There are many factors that can cause changes to the ethnic profile of an area, such as differing patterns of ageing or of moving to or from an area for work or education. Changes may also be caused by differences in the way individuals choose to self-identify between censuses.

The population from the Asian or Asian British ethnic groups in Hammersmith and Fulham increased by 3.9 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Hammersmith and Fulham by ethnicity, March 2001 and March 2011

Health improved

The percentage of Hammersmith and Fulham residents that described their health as bad or very bad decreased from 8.2% to 4.9% in the 10 years leading up to the latest census.

Rates are standardised to account for variation in age, which can impact the local population's health.

In 2011, just under 9 in 10 (85.7%) said their health was good or very good, compared with 73.0% in 2001. The percentage of Hammersmith and Fulham residents that described their health as fair decreased from 18.8% to 9.4%.

The proportion of residents that perceived their health as bad or very bad fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 8.3% in 2001 to 5.0% in 2011). Across England, the percentage fell from 9.1% to 5.5%.

These data are people’s own opinions in describing their overall health. They may be inconsistent with other measures of health, such as NHS records.

The percentage of people in ’bad’ or ’very bad’ health in Hammersmith and Fulham decreased by 3.3 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents in Hammersmith and Fulham, London and England said their health was bad or very bad, March 2001 and March 2011

Fewer people living alone

The percentage of households in Hammersmith and Fulham, which comprised one person, decreased from 40.3% to 37.4% between the last two censuses.

The percentage that had an unmarried couple remained close to 9.1%, while the percentage of households in Hammersmith and Fulham which comprised a married couple (with or without children) increased from 18.4% to 21.0%.

The proportion of one-person households fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 34.7% in 2001 to 31.6% in 2011). Across England, the percentage remained close to 30.3%.

The percentage of households with only one person was higher than across London

Percentage of households that comprised only one person across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

Changes in family structure

The percentage of households in Hammersmith and Fulham without children decreased from 72.2% to 70.5% in the decade to 2011.

In 2011, just under one in four (22.9%) households had at least one dependent child, compared with 21.6% in 2001. The percentage of households in Hammersmith and Fulham with only adult children living with their parents increased from 6.2% to 6.6%.

The proportion of households without children fell at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 62.4% in 2001 to 59.8% in 2011). Across England, the percentage remained close to 61.2%.

The proportion of households without children was higher than across London

Percentage of households without children across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

More students

The percentage of Hammersmith and Fulham residents that were studying increased from 2.3% to 3.5% in the 10 years leading up to 2011.

In 2011, just over one in two (53.4%) people aged 16 to 74 said they were employed, compared with 51.9% in 2001. The percentage of Hammersmith and Fulham residents that were unemployed decreased from 5.0% to 4.9%.

The proportion of students increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 3.0% in 2001 to 4.1% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 2.6% to 3.5%.

The percentage of students in Hammersmith and Fulham increased by 1.2 percentage points

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 to 74 in Hammersmith and Fulham, London and England that said they were in education, March 2001 and March 2011

Hammersmith and Fulham stood out from other areas for relationships

The percentage of married people increased in Hammersmith and Fulham, while falling across London and England.

In Hammersmith and Fulham, the proportion went up from 29.0% in 2001 to 30.1% in 2011. During the same period, the regional proportion fell from 41.7% to 40.3%.

The proportion of people who had never married or entered a civil partnership in Hammersmith and Fulham increased from 54.7% to 55.9%, while the proportion of people who had divorced or separated from a marriage or civil partner decreased from 10.7% to 10.3%.

The proportion of married people was lower than across London

Percentage of usual residents aged 16 and over that said they were married across local authority areas in London and the average across England, March 2011

Change in unpaid care

The percentage of Hammersmith and Fulham residents that provided between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased from 0.8% to 1.0% in the decade leading up to the most recent census.

The percentage who reported providing at least 50 hours of unpaid care each week remained close to 1.2%.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care increased at a similar rate to the figure for the whole of London (from 1.0% in 2001 to 1.3% in 2011). Across England, the percentage increased from 1.1% to 1.4%.

The proportion of people providing between 20 and 49 hours of weekly unpaid care in Hammersmith and Fulham remained close to 1.0%

Percentage of usual residents in England, London and Hammersmith and Fulham by care, March 2001 and March 2011

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